


Doki Doki: World At War

by TheDroppedFry



Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Reality, F/M, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2019-07-03 15:01:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15821292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDroppedFry/pseuds/TheDroppedFry
Summary: In this story, Monika is pulled out of her hellish, 2D world and thrusted into an alternate reality of Earth, where World War III has occurred. In the year 1985, Russia, China, and other Eastern countries are fighting a total war against Europe, the US, and other Western countries in a battle that is expected to end the world. Throughout her journey, Monika will traverse a war-torn world, meeting a variety of friends and foe alike, from everyday thugs and civilians to military soldiers, machines of war, and even monstrosities the like of which have never been seen before. Maybe even some 'acquaintances' from her past...However, through all of this, Monika has a secret of her own, that could help change the course of history in this alternate timeline...





	1. Chapter 1: Reality

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER:
> 
> This story contains graphic content, from blood & gore, sexual intimacy, prolific cussing, and much more.
> 
> Viewer discretion is advised.

_ Chapter 1: Reality _

_Shhhhink._  
 _Shhhhink._  
 _Shhhhink._  
He moved his whetstone to the side and brought up the newly-sharpened Bowie knife, glancing over it as it gleamed back at him, its sharpness slightly intimidating. His gaze eventually refocused on the ground below him.   
I didn’t find jack-shit in this place, James thought to himself.  
His first visit to Midfield, James was frustrated that his search for weapons had only come up with a rusty hatchet and a cartridge of .45 ACP ammunition. He was more successful in locating goods, as he had stumbled upon a whole pack of bottled water.   
He looked west to see the sun setting, almost disappearing off the horizon. Dusk was arriving, and that was not a time to be out. He was almost inclined to jump in his military jeep and skedaddle. However, he felt an instinctive tugging to at least explore a bit of Highland park, the nearby public garden.   
Might as well, he thought.  
With that, he slung his M1 Garand over his shoulder and sheathed his bowie knife, then stood up and jogged over to the park.  
As he came upon the entrance, he noticed how decrepit the place looked upon first sight. The sign tilted as its supports, damaged by the effects of war, struggled to keep it straightened. Weeds and overgrowth crept all over the concrete, a result of absent gardeners. And of course, parts of the same concrete were broken off, most likely from past confrontations involving guns.  
The sight of it all saddened James. He was hoping to find some small sanctuary that was devoid of any signs of war. But of course, he should have not had such far-fetched expectations. With that somber thought in mind, he entered the derelict establishment.  
Inside, he found the same likeness in the park as he did at the front entrance. As he ventured further in, however, the integrity of the park seemed to gradually get better. Eventually, James came upon a stone fountain, in which four nozzles protruded out from. There was no water spouting from them, though.   
This must be the center of the park, He thought.  
There was nothing to be found in the vicinity of the fountain. James sighed, walking over and taking a seat on a wooden bench. His eyes wandered the ruins of a once-respectable park, and reflected on his own past.  
When he and his family had first received news of the nuclear detonation in Florida, he didn’t believe it. How could something like that even occur, and in such a time of happiness? He’d been about to go to college, but his life was halted by the beginning of this hellish war that pitted the entire world against itself.   
East versus West.  
His father had been enlisted not long after the declaration of war. James had to hold down the house in his place. Yet it was only a couple years later,  
When disaster struck.  
The hospital. The explosion. Everything set aflame. Troops rushing in. His family-  
 ** _SLAM!_**  
The bench shook slightly as James’ fist slammed into the seat. He grunted in pain, regretting the action as his hand slightly throbbed.  
Why? He thought to himself. Why did this have to happen to me?

 

**_AAAAAaaaaAAAAAAaaaaaAAAAAAaaaaAAAAAHHHHHhhhhhHHHHHhhhhHHH!!!!!_ **

_Why did this have to happen to me?_ She thought.

The Screaming Void. Her indomitable hell. 

A constant pit of erratic screeching and dreadfully bright, harsh colors. To be honest with herself, she was surprised she hadn’t gone insane yet. At this point, she was sure this was some kind of punishment, but she had no idea what kind of horrible crime a person could commit to be deserving of this. 

Maybe it was the heartless atrocities she had inflicted upon her ‘friends’. Maybe it could be the willingness of committing such actions for something like interacting with sentient, real beings that kept her from escape. But regardless of what sins she had committed, it did not matter in the end. She was stuck here.

Floating in some empty pit of violent discord.

Oh, what she would give just to be free. To her, there was surely nothing worse than this. She would walk on glass. She could be burned alive. She could have her eyes gouged out, her nails pulled, her limbs dismembered, and she would consider all of that to be paradise compared to this nothingness.   
She could not even resign to this fate. There was no peace, just constant disruption of her thoughts-

G QDSV   
NJY^Y BE% A  
@# ETRHEWSDV@Q#R   
#$T @W$#T @TEWT FW IOJT  
IN :LPO@”$ yPOH  
@OP#$HKT WP#@OH@POIE#RH P  
…  
…  
…  
……  
……

A light shone in front of her. It was soothing, as if wrapping her up like a blanket. She felt herself being pulled towards it, and gave into it. The light encompassed her vision, until everything was white.

 

_Gaaaaasp._

She coughed, feeling as if she couldn’t control her own body. She felt herself falling off of some raised surface.

_Thump._

She smacked into the white tile floor below, along with the splashing of the liquid that had seemingly encased her. Her vision was distorted, but her hearing was just fine, and with it she heard creaking and groaning of the structure around her.  
Everything felt alien to her. It was an entirely different dimension, and with it she could feel thing she never did before.  
The expansion and contraction of her lungs, the dispelling and inhalation of each breath.  
Her hands and knees as they pressed against the cold surface of the tile below.  
Her movement, as each muscle and joint in her body moved with accordance of her brain’s subconscious orders.  
She felt alive. She felt real. She felt…human.  
However, as the groaning and creaking around her grew louder, she had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to enjoy this much longer if she didn’t get moving.  
She tried to move forward, as she could barely see a staircase at the far end of the hall, exiting out of the giant room she was in. The alien feeling of having a body disturbed her so much that she halted, falling back to the floor. She didn’t know how to use her limbs, but she didn’t have time to practice.  
With great struggle and desperation, she moved towards the staircase in a most unsettling manner, jerking each of her limbs forward erratically. As she got progressively closer to the staircase, bits and pieces of the structure around her began to groan louder, and eventually some popped or cracked off. Above her, parts of the ceiling were breaking off and falling onto the floor around her. Regardless of all of this, she continued to jerk forward, eventually reaching the staircase.  
She finally came upon the steps, and this time had to lift each limb up onto the the stairs, one after the other, even having to prop her head against one of the steps to gain traction. It was painstakingly awkward and slow, but she was determined to live. She felt a new surge of strength course throughout her body, and she continued up the steps.  
She continued to navigate the complex, taking turns down corridors, heading up more stairs, pushing aside small obstacles such as wheelchairs and movable tray tables with her limbs, following the signs pointing towards an exit.  
All the while, the foundation and structure continued to break apart, as the corroded establishment was giving in due to some unknown force being the final straw for the complex. 

Left.

Right.

Left.

Up the staircase.

Left.

Left.

Right.

Finally, she saw a door that looked to lead outside. She began crawling over, but a ceiling tile unhinged from above and smacked into her head. She almost fell the floor, but she stopped herself just short of it, knowing she would be buried with the place if she didn’t continue moving. She kept crawling, blood slithering down her head and getting into her eyes. 

Five meters left.

The rumbling of the establishment grew louder.

Four meters left.

The walls to either side splintered, spraying small fragments of metal all over the place, some of them embedding in her skin. She yelled in pain, but kept on.

Three meters left.

The floor below her caved in slightly, holes forming in it, rebar sticking out from the cracks. She could see the below floors through the holes, but kept on.

Two meters left.

She heard something explode from deep within the complex, and the rumbling sped up the degradation of the structure. In great distress, she kept on.

One meter left.

Close enough, she gathered up all of her energy and pounced at the door, slamming into it. She yelped in pain, but began pushing against it in utter anguish.

It was locked.

She felt her heart plummet, and began screaming in fear, bringing herself up to slam into it. Over and over, she repeated this, to no avail. The floor, the ceiling, and the walls all began caving in, and she could feel herself slowly slipping towards the middle, inevitably to a fate where she would be crushed into a pulp.

What a cruel joke. 

She slanted against the door, crying in agony, her chest taut with pain. She felt rage and sorrow boil within her. 

Yet, she felt hope, still.

She picked herself up, and continued slamming into the metal door, yelling with irate determination. 

_Slam._  
 _Slam._  
 _Slam._  
The foundations behind her continued to give in, the crack in the floor slowly creeping towards her, ready to swallow her up.  
 **SLAM.**  
 **SLAM.**  
 **SLAM.**  
Her entire body throbbed and ached with agonizing pain, the continuous slamming bruising her all over.

_**SLAM!** _

_**SLAM!** _

_**SLAM!** _

_**BANG!** _

Her ears rang as the air was shattered by an abrupt noise that ended as quickly as it had occurred. The door swung open, and she flung herself through the exit.  
Time slowed down, and her eyes met with someone else’s.   
What beautiful brown eyes.

_**THUMP.** _

 

James continued watching the sunset. It was only after a couple minutes that he realized he was putting himself in more danger the longer he waited for night. He shook his head, standing up from his seat. He stretched his legs-

_**CRACK!** _

James was thrown off his feet as a lightning strike struck near him, as if the ground itself had propelled him upwards. He landed a short distance away, tumbling over himself. He shook violently as the the step voltage from the lightning strike had hit him from below. He tried to get up, but failed numerous times. His ears rang from the shattering noise of the lightning strike.

_**CRACK!** _

_**CRACK!** _

The lightning strikes continued, though thankfully farther away from the park. James finally managed to quell the shaking in his limbs, and stood up, his mind having accelerated from the adrenaline that was now pumping in his blood. 

_…He…_   
_…Elp…_

Among all of the chain-strikes, James could faintly hear someone yelling. He looked around wildly, not sure where it was coming from.

_…Help…_

He turned his head, having traced the source of it to the ‘Employees Only’ maintenance door built into the concrete wall behind the fountain. He ran over, keeping his head low so as to not incur a strike to the head, which would surely send him into cardiac arrest.

_Help!_

He was sure of it now. Someone was on the other end of that door.  
He went to open the door, but found that it was locked, jittering the handle constantly.

**HELP!**

He felt a sense of urgency to help whoever was stuck behind there. He took a couple steps backwards, then ran into the door with his shoulder. He grunted loudly in pain as the door shook from the impact. As he did so, he heard the door shaking from impacts by the other side.   
He quickly realized how counterproductive it was to ram into the door from both sides. He could hear rumbling from behind the door, and so decided to-

_**CRACK!** _

Another lightning strike, this time alarmingly close. James felt another shock hit him from below, and he was thrown a couple meters across the yard, into the door. His head smacked against the surface, and he almost fell unconscious. He could feel himself drifting off to sleep…

**SLAM!**

James shook his head.

_I **cannot** let this person die._

Placing the butt of his rifle on the floor, he gained purchase on his feet as he used it to stand up, and steadied himself against it. He looked at the handle once more, and an idea lit up in his mind. He remembered an instance, when he was young, where he had sat on his father’s lap, his dad recounting war stories from World War II. He recalled his dad once telling him how they breached buildings.

With that idea, James picked up his rifle and pointed it at the handle. He pulled the trigger.

_**BANG!** _

The gunshot rang out in the park, and James almost dropped the gun in surprise. He had never heard the rifle go off before, and it was extremely loud.  
Nevertheless, the door swung open, and a woman came sailing through the door, having locked eyes with James for a moment. Her eyes were emerald green.

**THUMP.**

She landed on the patch of grass below, unmoving as she lay there. James had many questions race through his mind, like why she was unclothed, but he was dissuaded from any further conversation by the very ground he was standing on beginning to sag and cave in towards the door. He quickly stumbled to his feet, picking up the woman in a bridal carry, and raced out of the park towards the jeep. He noticed the lightning strikes becoming more frequent, as if they were wary of his escape and were trying their hardest to stop him from doing so.

_**CRACK!** _

_**CRACK!** _

_**CRACK!** _

His ears rang continually as he ducked and dodged, feeling as if mother nature herself was vying for him. The ground was still caving in, and cracks slithered towards him rapidly. The jeep was within sight, sitting a couple dozen meters down the dilapidated street.  
As he cut through the entrance, he felt a sharp whistle in his ear, and turned his head to see the sign had swung horizontally as its supports gave out. He turned white at the thought of almost being decapitated by it, but swallowed his fear and persisted in his beeline towards the jeep.   
Finally, he arrived, and without a second thought, he tossed the woman in the passenger’s seat, hopped in the driver’s, and turned on the ignition with the keys. As the engine came alive, he took one last look at the horrifying sight that was Highland Park.  
“Fuck this place.”  
He floored the pedal, screeching off and away from the monumental sinkhole that had formed.

 

The girl’s eyes fluttered open, and she looked around groggily to see landscape passing by. She turned her head left, and saw someone in the seat next to hers, driving the vehicle they were in. He was seemingly relaxed, looking out at the passing houses and trees. ‘Come on Eileen’ was playing at half-volume on the radio of the jeep, though the girl was not aware of the name of the song. She was allured by the melody, as it was heavenly to hear music that wasn’t the same incessant tune she had heard from the other world. As she moved around, she noticed a blanket covering her torso. She worked her arms around it, bringing them up to her face, which still felt alien to her, and looked at what she could only assume were her hands.   
This was a feeling unlike anything she had ever experienced. The only things she could do before were think and code. Now, she could do so much more. She could see things, hear things, feel things. It was unexplainable, how this all felt to her, but all she knew truly was that she loved every moment of it. She tried to flex her fingers, and it worked, her hand closing into a fist. She weakly gasped in awe.  
The boy driving heard her, and looked over in surprise, almost releasing the wheel. A lone garbage bin on the road brought his attention back, and he swerved slightly to avoid collision. He sighed in relief, and decided to switch his gaze between the road and the girl in 3-second intervals.  
“So, uh-is this 332? Yeah it is- Uh, anyways, might I be bothered to ask why I found you at an abandoned park?”  
The girl did not respond, instead staring in disbelief at the boy.  
“Eh, did….did ya hear me?”  
The girl had no idea how to talk. She had only been able to communicate through text. She tried to move her mouth, but found it to be a difficult task. The movement felt foreign (imagine a normal person gaining an extra limb and getting used to moving it), and as she tried to speak, it sounded like she was having a stroke.  
Needless to say, the boy was perplexed by this. As the radio switched to the next song, ‘Heaven is a place on Earth’, he continued to eye the girl in confusion. His eyes then took on a fearful light as a thought came to mind.  
“Are you…a Russian spy?”  
The girl tilted her head in confusion. James looked over her with suspicion, then focused back on the road, mumbling,  
“I mean, you don’t look like one.” (Regardless that James had never actually seen a Russian that didn’t have their face covered)  
Silence ensued, with the girl figuring out how to use her limbs and James bobbing his head to the music on the radio whilst driving, occasionally glancing over at her.   
Internally, James was nervous about the whole ordeal. He had never encountered a situation like this.   
“Egh-eugh-ooohhh-He-hegg-hell...hello. Hello. Hello.”  
The girl had finally been able to get hold of speaking, but she still felt as if she was in some sort of surreal paradise. As she gazed around, everything was so...colorful. Not harsh or bright, but...colorful. Everything melded together to form an actual picture in her eyes. The entirety of her vision was beyond what she could have imagined to be heavenly. It was all so much to take in, compared to where she came from.  
“So, uh, what’s your name…bro?” James shook his head in regret.  
 _Did you actually just call this girl ‘bro’?_ , He thought to himself.  
The girl looked over, still out of it.  
“Wha...what?”  
James looked over at her, struggling for an answer. Before he could come up with something, the girl asked:  
“Are you...real?”  
This put James off even more than he was already. He didn’t want to have to deal with a druggie as he was driving.  
“Uh, yeah, pretty sure i’m, well, here, last time I checked.”  
The girl continued stared at him, a mixture of shock and awe at his answer.  
“Did-did you just answer...me? You’re talking...to me, right?”  
James took a look around his jeep, then looked back at the girl.   
“What-who...who else would I be talking to? The car?”  
The girl had no answer. The feeling of otherworldliness was still affecting her mentally, but the reality of it all began to sink in as she slowly confirmed that this was not some hallucination.  
“So, uh...name?”  
“....Monika.”  
“Ah. Name’s James.”  
Silence ensued once again.  
…  
…  
…  
“So, that’s with a ‘c’, right?”  
“A ‘k’.”  
“That’s….weird.”  
Over the course of the trip, Monika’s state of mind swelled from awe and disbelief to an almost euphoric sense of relief and jubilancy.  
She was free.  
James jerked the wheel slightly as the sound of delighted squealing pierced his ears from the seat to his right. He turned in slight annoyance.  
“Hey, i’m tryna drive here, why are ya-”  
He stopped as he saw Monika immediately begin sobbing. He was extremely perplexed by her erratic changes in behavior, but he felt obliged to help.  
“What’s wrong?”  
Monika looked up at him, a joyful smile accompanying tears streaming down her face.  
“I’m just so happy.”

 

An hour later, the jeep slowed down, coasting past a sign that said:

_Galveston, Texas_   
_Population: ~~214,651~~ HOME OF THE BRAVE AND COURAGEOUS_

Monika read the sign, and was curious as to the point of the message. 

As they coasted through the neighborhood, Monika noted the sorry state of many of the houses in the area. Half of them had busted-up windows, broken-in doors, and other signs of damage or lack of maintenance, whilst other houses were boarded up, with the occasional set of eyes looking out the window, then disappearing out of sight. She was unsettled by this, and was about to turn and ask James when he began to answer.  
“I’m going to assume by the way you’re looking about that you, somehow, don’t know the state of things in this country. Currently, we’re being invaded by a foreign enemy…”  
And so James went on to explain how, in the early months of 1982, the Eastern countries, mainly Russia, China, Korea, and the ‘New Ottoman Empire’ (the Middle East united under a ruler) had been causing trouble for the other civilizations with their displays of a desire to expand. Many events led up to what was eventually a declaration of war on every Western Civilization by the four great Eastern powers. They formed what was referred to as the Second Eastern Bloc, or SEB, and began expanding on a worldwide takeover.  
To stop this threat, the U.S. and its numerous allies formed the International Western Alliance, or IWA (including Australia). With these two powers clashing, millions died in the meager three years that passed, outnumbering the deaths of both WWI and WWII combined. Oddly enough, as well, on September 22nd of every year during that war, a horrible, global natural disaster occurred, adding to the body count in the millions.  
Eventually, after a disastrous incident in the Indian Sea involving more than 6 million killed or injured U.S. troops, U.S. citizens decided to form the United Front of Armed Americans, or UFAA, with over 30 million immediately joining the organization, taking up arms against the invading enemy. Canada, Mexico, Central and South America soon joined, and the organization spanned over 100 million members within the two months it formed.  
James also explained how, as a result of this very real invasion, most UFAA members had packed up and headed to big cities like Houston, New York, Boston, and Washington D.C. to organize themselves as a military, hence the reason why so many towns like Galveston were sparse in population. However, some people stayed behind, whether it be to hold the front line against the invaders, or just because they couldn’t leave home.   
With that, small detachments of SEB troops were moving around the country, though mostly on the edges, as they had not been able to move further into U.S. territory as a result of vigilant armed citizens keeping watch. Thus, the forefront of conflict happened at coastline cities, or towns close to borders or the seafront.  
Monika soaked up this information as she listened, both intrigued and disturbed by the current state of the new world she had been brought into.  
James stared at her, unsure of what else to say.  
Eventually, he stopped at his house on 29th Street. He pulled up on the driveway, turning the ignition off and hopping out, moving around back to grab his gear, which was packed against the mounted machine gun that came along with the military jeep. He was still awed by the intimidating sight of it, but had not gotten around to using it. He was half thankful he didn’t have to.  
James then went around to the passenger side and, shouldering his gear, opened the car door and brought out Monika. He noticed she was in no condition to be moving by herself. He had treated her head wound, but she still had metal splinters embedded in various parts of her skin.   
_I might have to call Doctor Jenkins to deal with this_ , he thought to himself.   
Doctor Jenkins was one of the people who stayed behind to defend his home on the forefront, along with a couple other doctors, which was lucky for the entirety of any remaining Galveston residents.  
As he picked Monika up, she flinched in pain from the movement of the splinters in her skin. She gritted her teeth, willing to bare it, but James had noticed.   
“Sorry.” He muttered softly.  
He walked up the porch steps, sidled the door handle, and opened the door, taking her inside. The house was simple, not too extravagant nor impoverished-looking. A set of stairs led up to the second floor, and as James turned right, she noted they were in the living room, evident by the small TV and the couch, along with a couple other pieces of furniture that defined a living room. James set her down slowly on the couch, ensuring to keep the splintered skin on her away from contact on the couch. Once she had settled in, James ran out of sight.   
Meanwhile, Monika surveyed the room. She noticed a drawer on the far end of the room, with a couple pictures of what she could only assume were family photos. Two windows on either side of the TV shone the sunlight through, which made Monika feel like she was being wrapped up in a warm cocoon. Monika heard a sizzling coming from another room in the house.  
After a few moments, James hurried back with a glass of water and a grilled cheese sandwich on a plate, placing them on the lamp table next to her. He then turned around and sat down on the chair adjacent to the couch, panting from all of his physical exertion.  
Monika looked over at the meal she had been served, then to James, who sat there, catching his breath.   
“Is that...for me?”  
James looked up, still panting. He half-smiled and gesture awkwardly to the meal.  
“Uh, yeah. I assumed you were probably hungry, with whatever you’ve been through. So, um, eat up, if ya like.”  
Monika looked back over at the meal, then down at her hands, flexing them. She moved her left hand to pick up the water, managing to grab it successfully. She took a couple sips, feeling it quench her dry throat. She then reached for the sandwich with her right, bringing it to her mouth and biting down. It was amazing to her. Being able to actually eat and drink.

She felt something course down her cheek, and rubbed her finger against it, pulling it away to find it wet. James was once again discomforted by her crying.  
“You know, I didn’t think my sandwiches were that good.”  
She laughed. For the first time in her existence, Monika was laughing wholeheartedly.   
_**BANG!**_


	2. Chapter 2: A New Menace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before Monika can get comfortable, a new conflict arises, and James must take up the call to action alongside his residential comrades.
> 
> However, Monika doesn't plan on just staying behind...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING:
> 
> This story contains prolific blood & gore, cursing, and other graphic content.
> 
> Viewer discretion is advised.

Chapter 2: A New Menace

_Dear Jolie,_

_I got your drawing. It’s magnificent, honey! You could definitely become an artist someday. I also heard you had been doing well in school recently. Keep on those grades and you can surely get that doctor job you want when you grow up._  
It’s quite crazy down here in the South, but nothing your granddad can’t handle. I’ve got my rifle, so I can make sure these bad guys don’t get into our country. Besides that, I know you’ve worried, but I can tell you right now, sweetie, that we have to make sure to protect this country at all costs. This is a great place to live in, and I want you to understand that I’m here because I love you and our family too much to risk your safety and health. Once this war’s over with, I hope to see you and the rest of the family.  
Tell your mother and father I love them dearly, and God bless you, Jolie. 

_Sincerely,_

_ Gary Jones _

Gary put down the pen, sighing. He skimmed the contents of the letter he had written, feeling his chest swell. He took up the letter, folding it into a rectangle, and slipped it into an envelope, licking the borders and sealing it, before turning it over and placing a stamp on it.  
During this war, many functions of American society continued to function normally, and this included the postal system. Occasionally, a mail deliverer passed by the towns known to have a populace, and was dated to arrive at each one at different dates of the month. It was quite difficult to manage, as the mail deliverers needed guards, but it was necessary, as many frontiersmen fighting still wanted to keep contact with their loved ones, and they were scattered all over the coasts and borders.  
Gary put down the letter, as the date for the next mailer to arrive was only a couple days away.

_Clank._

From outside, a clatter was heard by Gary. He walked over to the window and peered out.  
It was dark out, which made it difficult to see, but Gary could make out the shimmering of gray and green colors. The outfits of SEB soldiers.  
Gary turned around quickly, turning off the desk lamp in his room. He went to grab his rifle, then sat by the window, flashing peeks out.  
_Did they see me?_ , He thought, his heart pounding from the tension.  
Luckily, however, it seems they were not looking upwards, and were continuing whatever they were doing. Gary released his held breath, then raised himself to observe them.  
It seemed the other residents had caught wind of the SEB’s passing, and had also taken the proper procedures to keep out of sight. As they passed, Gary weighed in on whether to take action or not. They were heading south, which was away from the mainland and west coast, where the non-combatants resided. On top of that, the patrol was small, not particularly a big threat. Gary knew that engaging soldiers, especially with residents who were not as trained as those soldiers, would not be wise, even if the patrol was small in numbers.  
_It might be better to let them move away-_  
His train of thought was interrupted by abrupt yelling in a foreign language mixed with the terrified screams of women. Gary peeked up from the window to witness two SEB soldiers, who had turned over a pile of trash cans and strewn mattresses and dragged out two women, a young girl and what he assumed was her older sister. They screamed and kicked at the SEB soldiers, and one of the soldiers, which Gary thought to be the squad leader by his authoritative figure, cracked the butt of his rifle across the cheek of the younger sibling, to which the older one cried out. The squad leader got down on one knee and said something to the older sibling that Gary could not make out. The older sibling nodded, quivering so much that even Gary could see it, and the squad leader got up, barking orders to the others in a foreign language once again. 

Gary’s blood boiled at the sight.  
"Those fucking Chinks and Russkies-"  
Unable to control his rage, he brought up his rifle and opened the window, then slid his rifle onto the sill, the barrel protruding out of the window slightly. He pulled back the bolt, checking to ensure there was a bullet in the chamber, re-cocking the rifle when he made sure there was.

He placed the rifle butt against his shoulder, adjusting it slightly for comfort.

He brought the sight up, so that his eye was peering down the iron sights.

He aimed for the head of the squad leader, who was unaware of the danger he was in.

He breathed in.

Then out.

He pulled the trigger.

 

_**BANG!**_  
Monika saw James sit up in alarm, instinctively grabbing for his rifle.  
“What the fuck was that?!”  
He immediately ran for the door, but stopped and turned around to Monika, pointing his finger at her.  
“Stay low, keep away from the windows, and do not follow me.”  
With that, he flung the door open and turned the corner of the block they were on, to where the source reverberated from. Meanwhile, Monika threw her sandwich on the plate and tried to get up.  
“Agh!”  
She flinched in pain as she moved her leg towards the ground. The splinters and other physical damage she had taken from the park were still in effect, and she looked down to see her leg make a nauseating squish as she put pressure on it. Blood leaked out of the open wounds, and the sight of it almost made Monika vomit. She sat back down, trying to quell the bile in her throat. Once she did so, she looked around frantically for something to serve as a crutch. She settled on the lamp table next to her, and reached for it, throwing off the plate, sandwich and water.  
_Sorry about this, James, She thought._  
Once the table was cleared, she brought it over, pressing her weight onto the piece of furniture. She grunted in pain doing so, but some of the pressure on her legs was alleviated by the makeshift crutch, and so she immediately began to move outside, awkwardly so as she shuffled the table across the floor.  
Once she had gotten outside and stumbled down the steps, she moved around the corner of the block, trying to locate the source of the gunfire and, hopefully, where James was. She didn’t have to wait long, as gunfire immediately erupted down the block. She was about to shuffle down the street when she looked back to the jeep, seeing something of interest.

 

_**BRT-T-T-T-T-T-T!**_  
James dove for cover as he saw a line of machine gun fire spittle up the street towards his direction. He managed to get behind a newsstand as the gunfire rattled down the street, causing James to jitter in fear. He peeked over the newsstand to map out the battlefield.  
From what he briefly saw, the SEB patrol was scattered, with some taking cover and others standing out in the open, looking around frantically for the source of the gunshot. Gunshots from inside houses all over were firing at the squad, and some bullets pinged the concrete below whilst others found their mark, signaled by the yelling of troops hit. They were desperately firing back at the establishments, but as they were unable to see their enemy, they instead fired randomly in desperation.  
James also noticed one of the troops’ bodies on the ground, motionless. He decided to move up and assist his fellow Galvestonians in battle, and so moved up along the sidewalk, crouch-walking to avoid being seen in the open. He found refuge behind a stack of wooden boards, and once in safety again, peeked over once more to survey the battle.  
This time, 3 more soldiers were laying on the ground motionless, with 2 incapacitated and the rest behind cover firing at the houses. The tide of battle had turned. However, James noticed that one of the SEB soldiers was holding the two girls hostage with his left hand and a pistol in his right, also firing at the residents. He brought his rifle up, aiming down the sights. His hands shook heavily, as James was afraid of hitting the hostages. Despite this grim thought, he steeled his nerves, taking in a breath and centering the sights on the soldier’s head.  
He pulled the trigger-  
_**BR-T-T-T-T-T-T-T-T!**_  
The machine gunfire once again rat-tatted up the street, causing James to flinch as he pulled the trigger.  
_**BANG!**_  
Immediately, he heard screaming from the target of where he shot. For a moment, he was horrified, thinking he had accidentally shot one of the hostages. However, looking up, he saw that the soldier holding them down had taken the bullet through the shoulder, and lurched backwards, hitting the railing, toppling over it, and falling into the bay behind him, an audible scream emitting followed by a loud splash.  
James sighed in relief.  
_Tink, Tink-Tink._  
James looked down, curious as to what the sound was.  
A live grenade had bounced over beside him, rolling into his boot.  
“Huh.” James said in a calm tone.  
He immediately began sprinting away up the street, and jumped down to the ground, facing away from the grenade and covering his head instinctively.

BOOM!

The explosion was almost deafening, and as James slightly opened his eyes, he could see several pieces of grenade shrapnel fly by his vision and embed themselves in the surrounding environment. He turned over, his senses disoriented from the blast, as a SEB soldier came bounding over the wreckage he had hidden behind, yelling in battle-induced rage. He wielded a knife, and James was just able to put his hands out in defense as the soldier clasped the knife handle with both hands and came bearing down on James, attempting to stab him in the center of the chest. James’ arms strained from holding the heavyset soldier off of him, and in a contest of strength, the other soldier was winning drastically.  
The knife came bearing down slowly towards his heart, and even as James exhausted willpower to keep the knife away, it still inched ever so closer, the tip gleaming threateningly.  
_Is this it?!_ , James thought, tears coming to his eyes as the prospect of death horrified him.  
_**CRUNCH!**_  
“AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!”  
Out of nowhere, a hatchet smacked into the soldier’s elbow, almost severing his arm and spewing blood all over the concrete below, as well as James, who turned his head instinctively as the blood stained his upper body. The soldier whose arm was almost amputated screamed in shock and pain, grasping his dangling, bloodied limb with his other arm. James took this chance to throw him off, leaving him to writhe in agony next to him. He looked up after clearing his eyes of the red fluid to see Monika standing over him with the hatchet.  
She was staring at the soldier she had attacked with her available hand cupped over her mouth, horrified by what she had caused.  
“Monika!”  
Monika looked over at James. Her eyes changed from horror to fear.  
“James...I...please don’t hate me-”  
James got up and threw his arms around her, to which she lightly gasped. She felt his body shake as he hugged her.  
“Th-thank you, Monika! Oh god, I thought I was going to fucking die!”  
Monika was baffled by his response, but eventually began smiling, moving her arms to hug him back as he sobbed in relief.  
_**BANG! BR-T-T-T-T! BANG!**_  
As James recovered from his near-death experience, his ears blocked out the gunfire, instead hearing the impact of the bullets. With this, James was brought back to reality and, realizing he was holding Monika, released her, dusting himself back off and turning around, rubbing his face of the tears. Monika only offered a beaming smile to him as he did so.  
He picked back up his rifle and looked at Monika.  
“I’m glad you saved my life. But please, find cover and stay out of danger until this firefight is over. Okay?”  
Monika’s smile persisted as she nodded her head softly.  
“Okay.” She said cheerily, seemingly unaffected by the gunfire only a dozen meters away. She then scurried behind the nearest raised surface, taking the hatchet with her. As James turned back towards combat, he subconsciously wondered how Monika was moving around so quickly, but the side thought quickly subsided as he focused back on the battle, which was just coming to an end.  
He moved even closer than before, this time not bothering to take cover as he saw the last SEB soldier throw his weapon to the ground, getting on his knees and raising his hands in a sign of surrender, and yelling in a foreign language, most likely the phrases ‘Do not shoot!’ and ‘I surrender!’

Silence.  
…  
…  
… 

Then, in a ruthless display of animosity towards enemies of the U.S., one final gunshot rang out in the neighborhood, shortly accompanied by a bullet piercing the soldier’s chest. He fell to the ground and writhed, gurgling as his own blood came spurting out of his throat. A couple moments later, his writhing slowed, and he eventually lay motionless on the ground.  
James looked upon the carnage of a battlefield. The dead bodies of SEB soldiers were spread haphazardly over the street, blood and bullets painting the paved street in a gory fashion. As James walked among the corpses and dying fellows, he felt goosebumps emerge all over his body as he pictured himself in that same instance. 

Writhing from a bullet that had pierced his body.  
The color draining from his face.  
Slumped in an awkward position.  
His eyes unblinking. 

_Stop_ ,He told himself. There was no point in torturing himself over this. However, in that moment, he felt immense sorrow and pity for the fallen below his feet.  
He came upon the two girls, who were shaking as they hugged each other, crying softly from the trauma of bullets flying past them, as the idea of death had also surfaced in their minds, too.  
James heard voices and turned around to see the residents of the neighborhood emerging out of their homes, rifles, pistols, and other weapons in their hands, lowering them as they came up to the former battleground, their faces grim. James swore he could see a harsh light in their pupils.  
The eyes of battle-hardened killers.  
He shivered, taking a deep breath and coming face-to-face with one of the residents, a gray-haired senior holding a Lee-Enfield. He stepped over a corpse of one SEB soldier and stood in front of James.  
“Hey there. I’m guessing you live here, judging by the Garand in yer hand?”  
James looked to his rifle, then back at Gary, nodding. Gary held out his free hand, offering to shake, which James accepted promptly.  
“Gary Jones.”  
“James McCarthy.”  
As they released hands, Gary looked towards the last SEB soldier, who was slumped against the railing, and walked over. When he came upon him, he bent over, picking up his Makarov pistol by the barrel end, then walked back over to James and handed it to him.  
“I saw ya get attacked earlier, and was plannin’ on aidin’ ya, but yer girl there had yer back. I think she deserves to be better well-armed, don’t you?”  
James looked down at the Makarov as he took it into his hands. The oak-colored handle was bumpy, and the sleek gray metal gleamed brightly as the sun’s light reflected off the surface.  
_I’m gonna have to teach her how to handle guns_ , James thought idly.  
With that aside, Gary looked back towards the girls, who were being comforted by a plethora of the residents.  
“I’m gonna have to go check on them. I’ll see ya around, James.”  
He was about to turn around when he remembered something.  
“Thank you for savin’ those two, by the way. This town, at least what’s left of it, is grateful.”  
With that ending note, he meandered over to the rest of the group. James looked back down at the Makarov once more, then turned around, slinging his rifle over his shoulder and jogging back to where Monika was. 

_10 minutes later...._  
James and Monika finished packing up the last of the supplies needed for heading out on a scavenging mission. As James flipped the hood up, he happened to glance over at Monika, who seemed to have completely gotten past the fact that she had effectively hacked a man’s arm off. But James was not focused on that.  
He walked over to her, to which she looked in his direction and smiled. He brought out the Makarov and held it in both hands, displaying the piece to her.  
“Monika, do you know what this is?”  
She nodded her head.  
“It’s a weapon.”  
James nodded in confirmation.  
“It’s dangerous, and intended to be that way. I’m going to give you a quick runaround on how to use this thing, because you’re going to be handling it from now on, if you’re gonna live long in this world.”  
Monika nodded once more.  
James flipped the pistol so that the handle was facing Monika.  
“You hold it by the handle at all times, unless you’re handing it to someone else, then you hand it over in the same fashion as I am. Do not mess around with this. It can kill.”  
She nodded once again. James then motioned for her to hold it. She moved to pick it up, her hands dipping as she remarked,  
“Wow, it’s a bit heavy.”  
James nodded slightly.  
“Yeah, guns are built that way, for many reasons I will not delve into.” 

From there, James went to teach Monika about the different aspects of a weapon, from the safety, to the handling, to where to put your finger when aiming, and all that shit. 10 minutes had passed by the time he finished. 

“You get the gist now, Monika?”  
She nodded happily, pointing the gun downwards as he had instructed.  
“I get it. Thank you, James.”  
James acknowledged her gratitude.  
“I’m doing this because I trust you.”  
With that discussion ended, they hopped in the jeep and headed out of town. As they drove off, Monika inquired about something.  
“When can I fire _this_ thing?” She asked, pointing at the mounted machine gun on the back of the jeep. James looked over, squinting his eyes, then looked back to the road.  
“When I can trust you to fire a big-ass automatic gun on a moving vehicle. We ain’t there yet.” 

As they came to the edge of town, James turned onto Bluewater highway, which Monika had not anticipated.  
“Why didn’t you head down that river route we did last time?” She asked.  
“That...isn’t exactly a legal route to take.”  
“What do you mean by that?”  
“Well….I’m actually supposed to use this highway we’re on and pass by a checkpoint going both in and out of the town. However, it was a pain in the ass to do that last time, so I decided to take that secret route. By the way, do not tell anyone about that route, or our asses will be grass….es.”  
“Whatever you say, James.” She giggled.  
As they arrived at the checkpoint, Monika noted the concrete walls that blocked off the highway, the only accessible way through being a fence gate that was dragged across by two soldiers as the jeep pulled up to the spot. A distinguished soldier, most likely an NCO, came by with a clipboard and pen, looking at James.  
“Good to see you again, James.”  
“You too, _Dick_.”  
The NCO sighed as he heard a couple soldiers nearby stifling their laughter. His name being Richard, it was inevitable that someone would make the age-old joke. James, a guy he knew since middle school, just happened to be one of those jokesters.  
“Anyways,” He looked across the seat to Monika, who smiled and waved at him. “You want to explain who _she_ is?”  
James glanced over at Monika, then back to Richard. Monika was worried. From what James had explained in the drive to Galveston, it seemed that there was a war going on with foreigners, and trust issues were definitely abound. She knew that she was not a citizen of this country, which would make gaining trust and even small talk that much more difficult.  
However, it seemed James had prepared for this situation.  
“She’s from Europe. She told me her ship to America had been attacked by the SEB navy.”  
Richard nodded slowly, still suspicious. Then he noticed the pistol hanging off of Monika’s belt. He fingered his own holster, his suspicion slowly turning to alarm.  
“Why does she have a Makarov, a known SEB sidearm, on her side?!”  
Monika was about to panic when James brought out his hand in an open palm gesture.  
“Richard, calm down. Since you don’t know this, a SEB patrol had recently infiltrated this town, and we had a shootout earlier with them.”  
Richard’s expression changed to one of surprise.  
“Wait, what?”  
“Let me finish. We took them down, and if it weren’t for Monika here, I would be dead on the ground there, a knife implanted in my chest by a SEB agent. She saved my life, and you can go ask Gary Jones in town for confirmation on that.”  
Monika looked at James, her eyes sparkling. Richard, meanwhile, lowered his hand, his suspicion fading.  
“So..the gun…”  
“I took it off the body and gave it to her, as guns aren’t exactly a common item to be found whilst scavenging.”  
At this last statement, Richard’s suspicion wore off. James’ story made sense, and he would be checking in with Gary Jones on this matter, especially since he had just found out about this breach in defense. He felt it was his responsibility to make sure no patrols of SEB got through to Galveston. There were surely routes that were breached, and thus needed to be blocked off. He took up his radio and spouted a few orders to other troops at the checkpoint, and eventually a squad with materials was moving back down the highway James had driven up from. Richard nodded at James.  
“Thank you for informing us of this, James. I’ll believe your story, but I suggest you further keep an eye on this woman. I wouldn’t believe that a SEB agent would go so far as kill another one of their fellow agents to gain trust, but you never know with these damn chinks and Russkies.”  
With that, he yelled over to the gatekeepers, and they opened it up fully. James nodded in thanks to Richard, and began driving through the checkpoint.  
As they were further up the road, Monika turned to James, once again curious of something.  
“Where are we headed, James?”  
James kept his eyes on the road when he answered.  
“Victoria.” 

The dead soldiers in Galveston were in the process of being stripped of their weapons and clothing to be distributed to the residents who helped fight. As the former squad leader’s body was being searched, his radio went off with someone’s shouting.  
“Здравствуйте? Сержант Артур? С тех пор мы еще не слышали слова с вашей позиции. Каков ваш статус?”  
The person searching the body tore off the radio and threw it aside ignorantly, and it clattered onto the side of the street. Rain began pouring down onto the streets.  
The radio beeped once more.  
“Из-за невозможности подтвердить условия в городе, мы теперь направляем силы к вашему месту, чтобы помочь в обгоне Галвестона. Если вы все еще дышите, сержант, приготовьтесь.” 


	3. The Lone Soldier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James and Monika explore the town of Victoria in hopes of scavenging supplies. However, they come across a few events, some fortunate, others not so much...

# Chapter 3: The Soldier

_Skrrt._

The jeep came to a screeching halt as James pulled up to the dilapidated sign presenting the town. It read:

**Victoria**

James looked towards Monika, caution written all over his face.

“Alright, look. We’re gonna stop at key places in the town that may have the supplies we’re looking for, then we’re leaving. I don’t want to stay at this place any longer than I have to. Understood?”

Monika nodded her head.

“Got it.”

“Good.”

With that, James pressed lightly on the gas pedal, and the jeep began rolling into the town. It was a seemingly less affected area of the state, as most of the buildings looked intact and unaffected by the strains of war, save for the few that were ripped with bullet holes and decaying bodies. At those sights, James felt the need to turn his head away.

“We need to bury them before we leave.”  
Monika looked at him with curiosity.  
“Why is that?”

James flashed his eyes towards her, then looked away, feeling shy. He was still not used to driving around a pretty girl by himself around the countryside.  
“Well, uh, it’s disrespectful to leave their bodies out in the open. It’s not Christian.”

He glanced over, but was slightly perturbed by Monika’s immediate response of looking out towards the surroundings. Was she...irked?  
_Whatever_ , He thought. She must be just surveying the area.

As they drove further around, Monika was captivated by all of the different grandiose buildings. From museums to plazas, to government buildings and restaurants, Monika felt a compulsion to visit every single one of them. In excitement, she turned around to face James, bouncing up and down like a kid heading to the local fair. 

“James! James! Can we visit these places?”

James looked over at her, inwardly freaked out by her behavior. Every girl, both young and old, that he had met was either formal, fake, casual, pretentious or just boring. It was quite a change in pace to interact with someone so sprightly.  
“Uh, well-”  
He felt his right hand grabbed by both of Monika’s hands, which made him jolt and gasp in shock. He looked over to see her way closer to his face than he had expected. 

“Please? I want to visit them...with you.”

James felt his face burn, and took his foot off the pedal. The jeep began to slow down, and as he pulled over instinctively, he locked eyes with her.  
They were Emerald green, and seemed to contain a constantly moving depth to them, like a shifting kaleidoscope.

Such beautiful eyes.

Monika was looking back at him, her bouncing slowing down, as she gazed back at him, and the moment left both of them in the silence, save for the soft humming of the jeep.

_Take her to the park_ , One side of James’ mind demanded.  
_We don’t have time for that. We need to scavenge_ , Reasoned the practical side of James.  
_Fuck that, you dumbass. Take this drop-dead hot girl to the museum, or plaza, or something._  
_No, we need to scavenge, it’s necessary for survival, and sticking around in town for too long could attract unwanted-_  
_BITCH, THIS IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY THAT YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH, SO TAKE IT! ___

__As James’ mind wrestled with the decisions, the side of teenage intimacy was winning out as Monika’s eyes continued gazing amorously into his._ _

___What if she’s a spy?_ _ _

__That random thought jarred his internal fighting, and he turned his head away, sliding his arm out of her hands._ _

__“We’ll, uh, see about what we can do.”_ _

__Monika looked at him with a longing expression, which ignited James’ teenage hormones, but he suppressed his urges and continued driving. That thought still itched in the back of his mind._ _

___Is she a spy?_ _ _

___What if she is?_ _ _

___Is she trying to seduce me? What does she have to gain?_ _ _

___Maybe this is her way of infiltrating the country…_ _ _

__The only thing that was as strong as James’ teenage desires was his undying patriotism to his country, as corny as it sounded. From the minute he came out of the womb of his mother, he had witnessed, read, and heard of events and instances of how his country had strived to protect the rights of the citizens, to create one unity for all, and to bring democracy and justice. Living in the country, in such a patriotic community had formed him to be one of the most patriotic individuals around._ _

__Thus, even the very idea of accidentally or purposely allowing infiltration, subjugation, subversion, or traitorous acts to sprout or happen within his country for the sake of bringing about the downfall of such an idolized nation was so abhorrent to him, it might as well be the equivalent of threatening to undermine the Lord Himself.  
However, he felt that as a citizen of the country, he could keep a watchful eye over her and any actions she committed. It was the only reason he lied to the checkpoint guards, and he still felt horrible about doing so. _ _

__Now, with his mind cleared, he focused on the mission ahead._ _

__\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__James was starting to get pissed. He had come to town, intending to find ammo and any supplies left behind, but the grocery stores were cleaned out, and the gun stores he had seen were empty, with not even a single bullet left behind. However, this was to be expected. Many of the towns near the coastlines of the country, save for the east, were vacated by the UFAA, and as a result many citizens took with them their belongings. This included store owners and their merchandise, and firearms were going for especially high prices since the war. James started thinking about other places in town that might contain some sort of supplies.  
At that time, they passed by a cathedral, to which James immediately performed the sign of the cross. Monika looked over to see him do so, and James noticed her face was one of onset calm. Then she muttered;_ _

__“Why do you worship a being who allows there to be so much suffering in the world…”_ _

__James was mildly irked at the comment, but he had heard his fair share of religious bashing, especially in today's war-intense climate. However, he didn't think he would appreciate to hear this if time went on._ _

__"James."_ _

__James tilted his head towards Monika, occasionally glancing to the road._ _

__"Why do you believe in God?"_ _

__Silence ensued for a few seconds as James processed the question. He wasn't mentally prepared to deal with a debate right now._ _

__"Well, uh....I just...I think there's a higher power in the universe-"_ _

__"A kind higher power?"_ _

__"Well, yes, a good being that made us as His creations. But, look, we don't have to discuss this right now."_ _

__James was suddenly frightened to see Monika's face contort in horror and fear. Her hands slithered around James, clasping him as she tried to gaze into his eyes desperately._ _

__"Oh, god, James, I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to offend you! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry-"_ _

__James was majorly perturbed by how Monika had suddenly switched gears, as she began to sob, begging forgiveness._ _

__"Please, _please_ , don't leave me! I'll never disagree again!"_ _

__"M-Monika! You're fine! You didn't do anything wrong!"_ _

___You fucking IDIOT! What did you say to make her cry?!_ James thought in a panic, chiding himself._ _

__He wrapped his arms awkwardly around her, trying to comfort her._ _

__"Hey, hey, I would never leave you! Okay?"_ _

__Monika sniffled, her sobbing coming to a silence for a few seconds._ _

__"...Never?"_ _

__"Of course not! In fact..."_ _

__James looked around the town for a few moments, his eyes finally lighting up as he spotted something._ _

__"...Why don't we get some ice cream, huh?"_ _

__\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

___As James delved into the few salvageable ice cream buckets left in the freezer, Monika sat at the counter, swinging her legs back and forth as she playfully slapped the counter with both hands rhythmically. They had found a Baskin-Robbins in the town, luckily, though only a couple buckets were still preserved. The rest had turned rotten, and stunk to high heaven._  
“Let’s see. They have Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Fudge, Vanilla, Mint Chocolate Chip- Wow, there are a lot of chocolates in here- and Strawberry.”  
Monika perked up at the last one.  
“Ooh, that sounds nice. I’ll have Strawberry, then.”  
“Alrighty.”  
With that, James used the scooper he had found in the tray and brought over a waffle cone, then scooped a couple portions of the Strawberry ice cream into the cone. However, he was quite clumsy with the process, and ended up giving the stacked ice cream the look of a head that was bent inwards. Monika stifled her laughter as James handed it over. He was slightly peeved that it didn’t look like the neat, perfect ice cream that was presented in the commercials. 

__James then took a couple scoops of chocolate fudge and made his own ice cream, which still looked like someone with a caved-in skull. He grumbled as he hopped over the counter and sat down at the nearest table, licking his ice cream solemnly. Monika took the other seat at the table, and they enjoyed the ice cream together._ _

__At least, Monika did._ _

__She felt slightly saddened to see James, though he was eating his ice cream, had taken the chair facing the outside, and was scanning with his eyes, constantly on alert for any threat that would present itself. Tis was the world they lived in._ _

__However, Monika was not satisfied with this. She would be happy to fight alongside James, and she was already happy with being in this world, but she wanted more from it._ _

___She wanted to attend high-school, get great grades, go out and explore the world, and graduate._  
She wanted to go to college, work towards her degree, have fun at parties, and finally attain her major.  
She wanted to work, and work hard, to make money, to buy her first apartment, to get her driver’s license.  
She wanted to marry James, move into a nice house with him, and raise a family.  
She wanted to grow old with him, and live out their final days on a porch, holding hands as they stared out into the sunset.  
She wanted to **live**. 

__Alas, she found that that paradise was so very far away. In reality, she was faced with a war-torn world, in which she knew next to nothing of, with death, destruction, violence, and other horrible atrocities waiting around every corner. It would be an arduous journey to achieve what she desired._ _

__But if that was her challenge, then so be it._ _

___“How’s the ice cream, Monika?”_  
Monika raised her head, beaming at James. For now, she would work towards her goal, and satisfy herself with what she had.  
“It’s wonderful.” 

__\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

___Rrrrrrrrr._ _ _

___As they were finishing up their cones, James noticed a slight tremor shaking the parlor. Curious, he pushed out from his seat and walked over to the front door, peeking through it and down the street._  
Monika turned around, nibbling on the waffle cone as she tilted her head.  
“What is it, James?”  
His face turned white. He hoped to God whatever that...thing he saw in the distance was an illusion of the landscape. However, he wasn’t planning to find out. Immediately, he turned to Monika.  
“Get over and behind the counter, and keep your head down NOW.” He demanded in a hushed tone.  
Without a second thought, Monika threw down her cone and hopped over counter, pushing herself against the bottom to keep from being seen. James followed suit, but peeked his head up slightly so as to see what was passing by the large windows. 

___**RRRRRRR.** _ _ _

__The humming got louder, and James made it out to be vehicle engines._ _

__**THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.** _ _

___What the hell is that?_ _ _

__Before his eyes, James saw an unimaginable sight before him pass by._ _

__Accompanied by four humvees packed with SEB soldiers, a tank with four spider-like legs crawled by slowly, its every thump causing quakes in the ground around it, even reaching James and Monika. The tank itself was beige-colored, and had two mini-guns on either side of the main cannon that embodied its mouth. The legs had several tubes, wires, and other tech running through it. As it continued down the path, behind it trailed more jeeps. Fortunately for James, none of them took notice to the ice cream shop. James was thankful for his paranoia, as earlier he had parked the Jeep in the alley behind the shop in case an enemy patrol happened to pass by._ _

__Eventually, the giant patrol was nothing but trail dust in the distance, the rumbling of jeeps and thumping of the tank fading slowly. James sighed in relief, having held his breath in anticipation. He looked over to see Monika shaken by the encounter, having seen the terrifying, sci-fi tank herself. He felt obliged to assure her._ _

__“Hey, are you okay-“_ _

__“That was AWESOME!”_ _

___Monika squealed this statement in excitement, leaving James in a perplexed state as to why she would have enjoyed that._  
“Wha-What do you mean, awesome? That was fucking terrifying! We almost got-“  
He failed to finish his sentence as he felt himself pushed against the wall, with Monika pressing herself against James, putting her arms on his chest as she leaned in close, breathing heavily.  
_Wait, her arms…_  
“God, that was so exhilarating!” Monika exclaimed. “I was so nervous and scared when they came up the street, but now I feel...invigorated!”  
James could feel her leg press against his.  
_Her legs…_  
Finally, with an insurmountable amount of willpower, he pushed himself off Monika, breathing heavily as he clung against the back wall. His body was steaming hot, and he felt light-headed. But her recent actions wasn’t what he was focused on. 

__“Monika, when were you treated?”_ _

___Monika tilted her head confusedly._  
“I mean, you had splinters in your legs, body, and arms, and I don’t recall when they were removed. Did you receive surgery from someone before you came to the street fight?”  
_Maybe it was Doctor Jenkins,_ James pondered. He could have seen her injured in the home and treated her whilst I was away. But then again, she came into the fight 5 minutes after I arrived, so could the surgery have been that fast….?  
Monika shrugged.  
“No one treated me. I just recall finding it easier and less painful to move as I was trying to get to you. I guess I didn’t notice that they had disappeared. I thought our bodies just naturally healed over time-“  
Monika stopped mid-sentence, and immediately switched subjects as James perked up to her last comment.  
“But regardless, what was that tank with four legs?”  
James was not having that.  
“Wait…what do you mean, ‘I thought our bodies just naturally healed over time’?”  
Monika said nothing.  
“Why are you talking about the human body like it’s a foreign concept to you?”  
Monika, being the master manipulator she was, came up with an excuse on the spot.  
“I meant I had never gotten injured like that before, so I thought injuries like that just healed the same as scratches or scrapes.”  
James’ suspicion of her slip-up dissipated upon hearing that, believing her immediately. She didn’t look to be one who got injured often, especially not like the serious wounds she had earlier. Her skin was soft and her complexion clear, with absolutely no signs of past scars. Yet he was still off-put by the first problem.  
“With that aside, are you basically telling me that your wounds, which should have received surgery, just _healed up_ , even with the splinters still embedded in your body?”  
Monika shrugged once again, a little frightened of how bewildered he sounded.  
James shook his head. He had no idea how to react to this discovery. He could deal with this anomaly more studiously at home.  
With that, he slung the rifle he had held in his hands so tightly back over his shoulder, standing up and placing his hand on the counter as he surveyed the street in front of the shop once more. Once he was assured, he hopped over the counter, then reached back over to assist Monika.  
As they headed outside, James looked towards the horizon. The sun was only around two hours from setting, which prompted James to wonder how time had passed so fast in town.  
He also noted that the patrol they had just seen was heading northeast, along the routes by the front lines. He had no idea what that spider tank could do, but it was most assuredly nothing good. He turned back to Monika, who was sitting there with both hands clasped in front of her, swinging slowly from side to side.  
“We need to finish up our scavenging and head back home to alert the UFAA about that patrol.” 

__\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__The Jeep came to a slow stop in front of the Victoria City Police Department. Monika admired the grandeur architecture of the marble structure, especially the pillars, which were evenly spaced, save for the absence of them in front of the entrance. James, however, was not in the mood for scenery._ _

__“Let’s get to searching.”_ _

__He came up to the door, rifle unslung as he edged the door open. He peeked inside, and upon finding nothing threatening, swung the door open fully. He walked inside, keeping on the side of caution as he scanned his surroundings. Monika came in from behind, pointing her Makarov downwards as she also looked around.  
They went about, searching each room they came upon. However, James’ spirits continued to drop as every room they searched came up empty._ _

__After about 10 minutes of searching, James leaned against the wall, slacking his hold on the rifle as he sighed._ _

___“Damn it, this town’s picked clean. I kind of expected the police station to be cleaned out, but the entirety of this town is just...empty.”_  
Monika said nothing. She was nowhere near acquainted with this world, much less familiar with anything in it. Hence, there was nothing she could contribute information-wise, and decided it was best to just follow James’ lead. One thing she noted, though, was that James, since he had found her at the park, had not questioned her on where she came from. She wondered if this was because he had felt that it was not necessary or that she had proved herself during the fight with the SEB soldiers in Galveston enough that she did not require questioning. Or he just forgot. However, considering how wary and alert people were in this country, James included, it was most likely the latter was not the case.  
“Hey, Monika, we got one last room to search. Let’s get to it.”  
Monika was stirred from her deep thinking, and nodded towards James. He acknowledged her, walking over to the last room and opening it. 

__“Holy shit!”_ _

___From the portion of the room James was seeing, it was ammunition and guns galore. From light machine guns to hunting rifles, firearms lined the racks from one end of the room to the other. On shelves, cartridges of all types of bullets were scattered about, most of them unopened. To his right, an AT-4 anti-tank weapon laid against the wall. James’ eyes shined as he eyed the weapon._  
“Is that a damn rocket launcher?!”  
_Click._  
James heard the cocking of a pistol.  
“Take your hands off your rifle. Now.”  
James began to turn pale as he took his hands off his rifle, putting them in the air.  
“Now unsling your rifle and lay it on the ground slowly.”  
James complied, subconsciously noting the slight Mexican accent of the person holding the gun to his head. 

__“Now turn around.”_ _

___James did so, and came face to face with a surly-looking man in soldier’s garments, who was watching him with caution in his eyes._  
He glanced over the man’s uniform and saw bloodied bandages wrapped around his sides. He looked up to see a UFAA-MD patch on his shoulder. He was part of the Mexican Division of the UFAA.  
“Who the hell are you?”  
James perked up upon being addressed.  
“James McCarthy...sir.” He remembered that he had his driver’s license in his wallet, which he carried in his pocket, and was about to reach into his back pocket when he realized how bad that would seem to the person holding the gun. He looked back to the soldier.  
“I’m going to get my ID and show you.”  
The man nodded, keeping his eyes trained on James’ every movement. With that, James turned his upper torso around and slowly reached into his back pocket, sliding out his wallet, then opening it to take out his license. He flashed it to the soldier, who looked over it slowly before nodding. He uncocked the gun and lowered it.  
“I apologize for that. But- nngh.”  
The man grunted in pain, placing his free hand over the bandaged wound. James was prompted to ask about it.  
“What happened to your- Oh, wait.”  
He turned around, calling out to the hallway.  
“Monika, it’s safe to come inside.”  
A couple seconds passed by, then Monika peeked her head around the door, seeing James and the soldier with a gun, whom she eyed in suspicion.  
“Don’t worry, he’s part of the UFAA.”  
Monika nodded, then walked in, holstering her weapon awkwardly. As the soldier saw this action, he holstered his own handgun.  
“So, who are you guys?” The soldier asked. 

__\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

___Within a couple minutes, James and Monika had briefed the soldier on where they came from and their intentions in the city. The soldier revealed himself as Carlos García, a Sergeant of the Mexican Division of the UFAA who had been stranded in the city after a large patrol came by and wiped out his squad. James noticed Carlos had clenched his fists upon mentioning the patrol. He was sure the man was filled with rage and sorrow about having lost his entire unit._  
“We thought we were prepared for anything, but this...menacing tank tore us to pieces. It had legs that crawled up onto one of the buildings and ambushed us with missile fire from above. We never saw it coming.”  
James perked up at the description of the tank.  
“You saw a tank with...legs? Did they look like spider legs?”  
Carlos nodded, tilting his head in question of how James got this.  
“We...saw that tank pass by a couple hours ago.”  
Carlos adopted a grim expression.  
“I thought I had heard odd thumps outside earlier. That damn thing…”  
Continuing, Carlos told them he had to find refuge in the police station after the attack, and decided to bring the weaponry of his fallen squad with him. He had considered heading towards one of the UFAA bases or outposts, but he was stuck in a city with no directions to any of the main bases he knew, and had no idea where the US UFAA outposts were, and of course, it was too dangerous to try and retreat back down to Mexico, as there was too much risk of encountering SEB soldiers. He had to live off of the MREs he had kept for the one month he stayed there, and it almost drove him mad.  
“For some days, I considered just ending it…” Carlos remarked, his eyes drifting off to the side of James, who felt discomforted by the sudden shift in the atmosphere. He looked over, wondering how Monika was faring, and was off-put by how contemptuous her eyes looked as they aimed at Carlos.  
“Another one, huh?...” She muttered under her breath.  
Carlos shook his head, focusing back on the two.  
“But I didn’t want to just give up on my country. So I stayed here, hoping a UFAA patrol would pass through here eventually, and that’s when you two came along.”  
James took in all of this information. Clearly, there was only one thing to do.  
“Carlos.”  
The soldier looked at him.  
“I can offer you a ride to Houston, so you can inform the UFAA of your situation, and of that nightmare of a tank.”  
Carlos was silent for a moment, and James was afraid he would say no. However, he was surprised to see the soldier lower his head, breathing heavily. He tried to hide it, but he was crying.  
“Thank you, James.” He blurted. “I’ve been so cooped up here, I was starting to lose hope. I’ve been so lonely all this time, with nothing but my grief and rage to accompany me.”  
James shuffled a bit, discomforted by the weeping soldier. He wasn’t used to seeing adults in a vulnerable state.  
“However, I would like to make a stop first at my hometown to check in on some things.”  
Carlos looked back up, wiping his tears. He nodded, his gaze hard set as he felt a newfound determination. It was his mission to make sure his comrades’ deaths were not in vain. 

__“Let’s go.”_ _

___With that, James and Monika, each shouldering either of Carlos’ arms, walked back to the car. Carlos agreed to allow them to take what weapons and ammunition they could in duffel bags they found in the police station, but they would need to give up what firearms were there to the UFAA when they got to Houston._  
A little more than 20 minutes later, when most of the supplies was loaded in, James rotated his shoulder blade, which ached from all of the heavy lifting. He didn’t want Monika carrying too much weight, for gentlemanly reasons. However, they couldn’t load all of the weaponry on board, as the mounted machine gun took up at least 50% of the space in the back. Thus, James prioritized the most effective weapons of battle, with help from the Sergeant (As James most likely would have just picked the coolest-looking guns).  
As Monika was getting in the passenger seat of the jeep, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned around to see James looking at her with a serious expression.  
“When we get back to Galveston, we’re gonna have to talk about….recent discoveries.”  
To that remark, Monika nodded silently. She knew he was bound to confront her, but she herself did not have answers to most of the questions he was probably going to ask.  
With that, James hopped in the driver’s seat, looking back to see Carlos sitting around the duffel bags. He gave the thumbs up. James flashed a grin, and with that, they took off, leaving dust trails in Victoria as they headed off for Galveston. 

__\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__For the first two hours of the drive, Carlos informed James and Monika of a plethora of things. He told them about the current situation of the UFAA in Mexico, where the MD (Mexican Division) were struggling to keep SEB from expanding across Mexico. They had established a strong beachhead at the forefront of the East, and were capturing Mexico’s oil rigs. He also told them, from reports of MD-UFAA that worked more east in Mexico, of the military experiments the SEB were releasing onto the country. Rumors of armor that could use advanced camouflage technology to blend in with the environment almost completely, ships that flew in the sky, dropping down soldiers from above, and even superhuman atrocities that incited terror in even the most courageous and brave were the brunt of the talk._ _

__All of this talk chilled James to the bones. He imagined he would hear this in science fiction, yet it seemed to be coming to life, and near his own home. He was deeply unsettled by this._ _

__Carlos went on to tell of rumors from other countries. In Japan, there was talk of a young girl, around 17 years old, who was becoming a prodigy of intelligence analysis, giving the IWA and edge over SEB forces. There were also rumors of a rather short and scrawny teenager, also a girl, who was becoming an ace pilot in Europe, referred to as the Blue Baron. She was said to be able to take out enemy planes with dead-on precision.  
James felt his spirits brought up by talk of these young individuals rising to the occasion, as it gave him hope that he, also a youngster, could do his duty for his country._ _

___He was put-off when Carlos stopped his talking, seemingly having remembered something grim._  
“What is it?” James inquired. He knew something was bothering Carlos based on his expression. Carlos looked at him, hesitant to garner the next piece of information he had.  
“Apparently...there’s also a young adult in Russia, who’s supposedly been controlling monstrous nightmares. They call her ‘The Queen of Monsters’, and a lot of people support the theory that she’s the one who’s been sending these hellish creatures to invade our mainlands.”  
Once more, James was shaken deeply.  
_How the hell am I supposed to deal with this?!,_ He thought.  
During this entire discussion, however, James noticed Monika was admiring the landscape, seemingly still in awe of this bland scenery. He had no idea where Monika lived prior to him finding her, but he shivered to think about what would make miles of flatland dotted with houses and trees appealing. 

__\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

___In the final hour of the drive, Carlos fell asleep, having divulged all of the information he had about foreign matters. It was midnight, and James had to turn on the headlights to keep seeing the road. It was mostly silent, save for the soft humming of the jeep engine and ‘In The Air Tonight’ by Phil Collins playing at 25% volume on the radio. James felt tired from the nerve-wracking day he had, and had to keep himself from falling asleep at the wheel._  
He turned behind him to see Carlos dozing peacefully. He smiled, then turned to his right, and almost jumped to see Monika staring at him, a blissful look in her eyes as she leaned on her elbow, her hand resting on her cheek. James shifted in his seat slightly, once again feeling flustered thanks to Monika.  
She continued to stare at him, smiling contentedly. This went on for a couple moments, with James glancing between her stare and the road. He finally felt the need to break the silence.  
“So, uh-”  
He cleared his throat.  
“M-Monika. I’m, uh, surprised you’re...not asleep...yet.”  
“I can’t sleep when i’m in paradise.”  
“....Oh.”  
She had responded in such a way that James felt she was absolutely sincere in her words. He had no idea why she considered this paradise, but he was thinking maybe she was trying to make some advances on him. He was not sure what to do about that, and so he sat, saying nothing. His cheeks reddened slightly.  
“James.”  
“Y-yeah?”  
“I love you.”  
_Welp._  
…  
…  
…  
“...Okay.”  
_You dumbass._  
However, Monika didn’t seem bothered by his answer. She continued her gaze at him, as if he were her soul mate. James felt his face heat up. The radio music ramped up as Monika continued her confession. 

__“I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. Ever since I found solace in this world, I’ve loved everything about it. Especially you.”_ _

__James was silent._ _

__“I don’t know if you can understand what i’ve been through. I don’t expect you to. I just want you to know that me being here, with you, and not in that….other place….is everything i’ve ever wanted. I am truly happy.”_ _

__James was silent._ _

__“I love you for saving me.”_ _

__James was silent._ _

__“I love you for caring for me.”_ _

__James was silent._ _

__“I love you for showing me how to survive in this world.”_ _

__James was _really_ silent._ _

__“Above all, I love you for granting my one and only wish.”_ _

__If James could be any more silent in that moment, he would have broken the sound scale._ _

__“I would do anything for you, James.”_ _

___**SKRRCH.** _ _ _

__Monika jerked forward, put off by his sudden stop. Carlos was heard groaning in the back._ _

__“What happened-”_ _

__She cupped her hand over her mouth as she gazed upon what was previously the UFAA checkpoint, now in shambles from what looked to be missile fire. Flames encroached upon the remnants of the small stop, and dead bodies were thrown about the place, filled with bullet holes, peppered with shrapnel and scorched with burn marks all over. James, who was shocked by the horrible sight, jumped out of the jeep, running towards one particular body. Monika got out of her seat and ran over to see James holding the body, tears falling onto the corpse’s face._ _

__“Richard...no…”_ _

___James wept over the body as he cradled the corpse’s head softly. A serious burn mark had overtaken the majority of his face, almost making him unrecognizable to others. She felt shivers crawl up her spine when she noticed one of his eyes bulging out, the skin around it melted and charred._  
James looked up, a horrifying thought occurring to him. He laid the body’s head down softly as he uttered:  
“Galveston…”  
Before Monika could react, James hopped up, running over to the Jeep and revving the engine. Monika eventually snapped out of it and ran over, getting into the passenger seat as James drove down the road.  
As they sped down the highway, Monika could hear James muttering to himself. She had no clue what to say to reassure him.  
She was just as dreading of the town’s condition as he was.  
_Skrrrrrrrrrrrrt._  
The jeep came to a slow rolling stop as James’ hands dropped from the wheel. Monika, seeing the same sight, looked over at him, tears in her eyes.  
“I’m so sorry, James.”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for not posting for quite a while. It's really only because putting in the HTML for all this writing gives me a hernia. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed it, and if you want to see the entire written series so far, check out 'Doki Doki: World At War' on Fanfiction.net, under the username 'TheOptimisticSpectator'.
> 
> Have a great day!


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